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Wolfgang von Trips
|birthplace = Cologne, Germany |death date = |placeofdeath = Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy |nationality = |status = Deceased (fatal accident) |firstrace = 1956 Italian Grand Prix |firstwin = 1961 Dutch Grand Prix |lastrace = 1961 Italian Grand Prix |lastwin = 1961 British Grand Prix }} Wolfgang Alexander Albert Eduard Maximilian Reichsgraf Berghe von Trips (May 4, 1928 - September 10, 1961) was a German racing driver, the son of a noble Rhineland family. All but three of his Grands Prix were run with power. He'd have been the first German champion in Formula One were it not for his fatal accident at the penultimate round of the season in Monza, Italy. His team-mate Phil Hill of the United States grabbed the title, since von Trips had been leading the championship going into this round with Hill only three points behind, giving his country their first title instead. However, after learning of von Trips' death, Enzo Ferrari and his team sat out of final race of the season as a mark of respect, thus denying Hill an opportunity to race in front of his home crowd as the newly crowned champion. von Trips was posthumously crowned the runner-up in the 1961 championship. The only other time this has happened was in , when Ronnie Peterson died at the same circuit. In a recurrence of 1961, the team-mate was American and also won the World Championship; that was Mario Andretti. Formula One Career 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 Death On lap 1 of the 1961 Italian Grand Prix, von Trips collided with the of Jim Clark. Von Trips' car went airborne and into a side barrier. He was ejected from the car and killed. After striking the wall, Von Trips' car bounced back into the middle of the track, hitting Clark's car. Clark's car was sent off the track and into the crowd of spectators. Fifteen spectators were killed in the accident. "Von Trips and I were racing along the straightaway and were nearing one of the banked curves, the one on the southern end. We were about 100 metres from the beginning of the curve. Von Trips was running close to the inside of the track. I was closely following him, keeping near the outside. At one point Von Trips shifted sideways so that my front wheels collided with his back wheels. It was the fatal moment. Von Trips' car spun twice and went into the guardrail along the inside of the track. Then it bounced back, struck my own car and bounced down into the crowd." - Jim Clark Formula One Statistical Overview Formula One Record Career Statistics Race Wins Career Results |0|NC}} |||||| |4|14th}} |||| | | | | ||9|12th}} |||||| |||6th|0|NC}} |8th|| | |11th| | | |9th|10|7th}} | | | | | | ||33|2nd}} Legacy A commemorative statue of von Trips was unveiled in Kerpen, Germany, 30 kilometres from his birthplace of Cologne. Notes Category:1928 births Category:1961 deaths Category:German Drivers Category:1956 Début Drivers Category:Ferrari Drivers Category:Porsche Drivers Category:Cooper Drivers Category:F1 drivers killed while racing